New station pledges to 'revolutionise' community radio in Northampton by championing diversity

A new community radio station pledging to celebrate Northampton's diverse communities will soon be broadcasting across the town after being given a licence by Ofcom.

After months of development and waiting for a decision from the communications regulator, the team at Revolution Radio found out they can go out on DAB digital yesterday (Wednesday, July 22).

The group of experienced and passionate DJs and technicians are now working on finding a studio in the town centre and hope to be broadcasting later this year.

Managing director Chris Gregg said: "We chose the name Revolution as it is an exciting brand name that encapsulates change and development and we're rethinking the way radio is done and making a difference."

Revolution Radio was one of two community radio stations in Northampton to earn a broadcast licence from Ofcom yesterday alongside Embrace Radio while Inspiration FM had its 10-year licence renewed.

Embrace and Inspiration have been going in different formats for a few years but Revolution is completely new to the scene with a promise to champion marginalised communities.

Chris said: "Recent movements like Black Lives Matter and others are all about rethinking things and that's what the radio station is all about: making a difference, sending out positive messages and celebrating each other's cultures."

While the brand may be new, the team behind Revolution is not - Chris said many of the presenters have backgrounds in local and national radio.

But many grew disillusioned, or lost their jobs, through the takeover and centralisation of stations.

For example the Northants 96 station, launched in 1986, became Heart Northants in 2009 and then Heart Four Counties, moving to Milton Keynes with the 'local' content ever-shrinking.

But Chris believes community radio offers a way to get back to the good old days where DJs were seen at events and were on the pulse of what was going on in the town.

"Many people are moving in to local radio as big stations have closed or been merged, many who know what it used to be like and are now investing time and talent in communities, so it's really positive," he said.

Chris has high hopes for the team to be a regular fixture at festivals, shows, fairs and more to raise awareness of the station and show they are rooted in Northampton.

Revolution's goal is also to highlight the town's music scene and grassroots sports, make local democracy more accessible and provide real-time travel updates, headlines and appeals from the public.

The shows and songs will be a mixture of different styles and tastes to reflect the town's diversity, especially in the evenings with programmes dedicated to various genres from reggae to eastern European.

There are also still opportunities for presenters to join the ranks with the schedule still to be finalised so Chris encouraged anyone interested in radio to get in touch.

"The conditions of our licence are clear that we have to make things better for the community and there are lots of rules and regulations for very good reasons so it's done for the right reasons," he said.

"We've got to be not-for-profit, we've got to get the community involved by serving underrepresented communities and giving a voice to those listeners so it's a very positive thing."

For more information, visit theradiorevolution.co.uk or email [email protected].